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Campaign manager David Plouffe says Barack Obama's smooth foreign swing will help win votes in the long run but won’t produce an immediate surge in polls.

“We wouldn’t expect any sort of — I guess the term people use is ‘bounce,’” Plouffe said by phone from campaign headquarters in Chicago.

The manager, noting that he pays less attention to national polls than polls in key states, said his campaign views the general election as “five months in totality.”

“We view everything as kind of a package — there’s not going to be any one thing that is decisive,” he said. “It was an important week, but it was just one week in this campaign. Come Nov. 4, this week will be important to voters, but every week will be.”

Nevertheless, Plouffe may be pleasantly surprised. A Gallup daily tracking poll released Saturday found that Obama had stretched his lead over McCain among national registered voters to seven percentage points — 48 percent to 41 percent — tying his widest previous lead, notched in early June.

Gallup.com says in an analysis: "Obama's particularly large leads over McCain in Friday and Saturday's tracking suggest that the massive publicity surrounding Obama's speech at the Victory Tower in Berlin on Friday — the only major public event of the trip — and coverage of Obama's meetings with the heads of state in France and Germany may have tilted U.S. voter preferences more in his favor."

Plouffe said that the trip made three important impressions on voters:

1) “Our sense is that voters are looking for a new direction in foreign policy, as well as they are on the economy. We think it’s important to make sure they understand the direction Barack Obama would like to lead us, in terms of foreign policy. The speech in Berlin was a pretty good window into that.”

2) “It’s important for voters to see that when he’s dealing with world leaders and military leaders, that he’s very comfortable and that he is someone who can represent the country well on that stage.

3) “Voters in this country really do want our relationship with the world strengthened and are unhappy that there’s some tension there. We’re going to lead with strength, and not compromise anything. But the fact that he is a potential president who can have a better relationship with our allies and the rest of the world is something that’s very important to voters. The Republicans, at their peril, scoff at that.”

Plouffe said one reason he does not expect a surge in polls is that both Obama and McCain “have pretty healthy bases, so there’s not that many voters in play here, in terms of a swing voter.”

“A lot of them are not going to make a decision right now,” he said. “There’s a chunk of people in this country — probably close to 8 to 10 percent — who are going to sit back and wait for this to unfold.”

Obama himself went even further in a session with the press in London today: “I wouldn’t even be surprised if in some polls we saw a little bit of a dip because we’ve been out of the country for a week.”

Plouffe noted that the trip “was definitely kind of a high wire, because any number of things could go wrong.”

“He availed himself just terrifically,” he said. “The people back here were interested in what was happening over there. It was new information about Barack Obama.

“It was important for them to understand better his vision for foreign policy, and how he is able to execute on the world stage. I just thought it was wonderful. There were a lot of people who questioned the value of this, just because it was potentially risky — even something as simple as being out of the country for seven or eight days.”

The McCain campaign and Republican National Committee had taunted Obama to take the trip to gain experience.

“We had discussed this and decided to do it before he began his harangues,” Plouffe said. “It’s something that we actually considered doing last year, before the primaries. But I do think their harangues gave it a little bit more attention.

“And it wasn’t lost on voters: Hey, wait, the Republicans asking them to do this, so how can you criticize them?”

So what is his vision on foreign policy,?!? - other than what we allready know - automated withdrawal from Iraq on an automated time table. -I saw an interview with Senator Obama today and when he was asked if his trip abroad changed any of his views, he must have used at least a thousand words to say "no!".

Glad to know the Obama team have all t heir bases covered in terms of expectation of poll results reacting to his global coronation tour.

McCain suggested that he vist Iraq, actually he suggested to the "bi-partisan" Obama that they visit Iraq together but that was way too radical for Obama, and anyway, what good would that do? It would provide as many "images" for Mccain as it would for Obama - Not Good!

McCain did not suggest a world wind- global tour in which Obama and his "pals" produce a image library of the pretense that Obama is allready the President of our free country!

The balance of opinion polls appears to show an increase for the green party candidate Ralph Nader. One has to ask the serious question, is this election voting for more corporate dictatorships? Why would anyone vote for a Republican or Democrat when they choose to support people who cannot afford the mortgages that they have. When people can't afford something in America they need to go into Chapter 11. My view is not about saving the people who can't afford the houses that rather the investors and perhaps shareholders. Given American swears by the free market there seems to be a contradiction of terms. The taxpayer is supporting the arms race, private banks to create money in the form of credit, a government that takes on a more debt, and increases the spying of e-mail traffic throughout America as a media that doesn't look at the other presidential candidates who are not Republican or Democrat.

Clearly what's been happening back in America why Barmer has been jetsetting around the world seems to have been off the media radar. The Federal Reserve agenda clearly be seen. America you need to read the book, "The Creature from Jekyll Island by Edward Griffin, a second look at the Federal Reserve. I agree with those in the Republican Party who believes the president of the United States must not support the bill to save two banks. Who is going to save the taxpayer? There are more important issues to example running out of atmosphere before running out of oil. This warning has already been given and that may only take 30 years to come into effect. One of three findings from the New York hijacking of planes terrorist attack was flat with the grounding of aircraft the average daily temperature and increased and de-crease in America by 1.8°C. This meant more Sun could get to the earth to heated and more heat could disappear during the evenings to cool it down. The evidence ce de-creases in the pan evaporation due to blockages of some light of around 20% may sound great. This is an illusion of how much the planet can heat up. We need the calling of the north and south poles otherwise an increase in 2.5°, means we would not be able to reverse climate change. This is a price that human maybe reduced by up to 95%. The planet will live longer than humans. Why do we need to turn the earth into Mars?

Once they understand the benefits of having inhabitants in other parts of the world like, appreciate, and respect the United States again and the increased safety and security of them having our backs the majority will know who they need to vote for.

McCain's campaign boils down to a damned-if-Obama-does,damned-if-Obama-doesn't strategy. First Obama was damned because he had not been to Iraq since 2006. Then he was damned for leaving the country.

Barack was damned for not appearing experienced and presidential enough. Then when his meetings with foreign leaders drew rave reviews, Obama was damned for appearing too presidential.

McCain gave speeches in foreign countries and met with foreign leaders (Canada, Mexico, Colombia), and said Barack should be doing this. But then when Barack spoke abroad, McCain said it was presumptuous. (Note, in true schizophrenic form, McCain still says Barack ought to go to those other countries.)

Barack was planning to meet with the wounded troops, but was told it would be perceived as too political, then McCain advertises that he neglected the troops. This was another damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't situation.

In McCain's eyes, no matter what the choice, Barack will always be damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. The irony is that Barack was damned for not having foreign policy experience. Then when Barack shows his superior knowledge and judgment on such matters, the Republicans copy-cat him ( withdrawing troops from Iraq and setting timeline, increasing strength in Afghanistan, diplomacy with Iran).

While Barack was abroad trying to restore the respect America lost under Bush/McCain, McCain lurked behind at home telling lies about him. This is indeed a dishonorable campaign, reeking of desperation.

young fellers ...anyone who could support a man who has been raped by other men ... well something is wrong with you. the KGB made a beiotch out of flyboy Mccain......bombs away ANAL ATTACK BY THE RUSSIAN BEAR!

Attacking Pentagon for leaking Obama's saying no to visitng wounded American soldiers in GermanY , because Obama could not take CAMERAS and REPORTERS with him .

Obama went to the RITZ for a massage and a Camel instead during this time .

NO CHRISTMAS PRESENTS , Obama tells Sandra Sobrieraj Westfall in a seven-page COVER STORY that he and his wife follow the UNUSUAL PRACTICE of not giving presents to their two young daughters . This weeks People Magazine

He already is getting a bounce. Check out the latest gallup and other polls. I've noticed these polls are usually about 3 to 4 days behind, so the bounce will keep growing. You know the republicans are in big trouble when GOP shrill Monica Crowsley calls the trip a home run for Obama.

Now that is change America has not seen in a long time. We are so use to seeing images of people around the world protesting America and burning our flag and I hate those images. It was real change to see cheering of an American and America and waving the American flag.all

You're kidding, right. There's NO bigger BOOB than a man who SUPPOSED to be the man on foreign affairs. And he doesn't even know Sunni from Shia, or that there's no boarder between Iraq and Afghanistan. McCain can't even get online by himself. You should start thinking before you blog. It only make YOU look stupid. John McCain finished 894 out of 899 from the Naval Academy. He's the BOOB!!